April 8th, 2013 – Tipple’s Sour Tasting

Monday, April 8th 2013 – 7pm to 9pm

Come by the store to sample through and learn about 11 different tart and sour beers. Tasting will be done in class format, so we will be tasting one beer at a time and discussing the beer. Admission is $35 and must be made in advance in person or by phone (352-672-6303). Tasting is inclusive of a souvenir beer glass and 10% off most store items during the tasting. Sorry, no refunds or cancellations! Please make sure you can attend before signing up!Please arrange for a safe ride home!

Ter Dolem Kriek

This unfiltered top-fermented beer, with fresh cherry juice added, is made from single types of wheat and malt and two kinds of hops. Spices, like coriander, and orange peel are added; the result is a refreshing fruit beer.

Belgium – 4.5% abv – Kriek

2012 Verzet Oud Bruin

This beer is a mixture of some “old” brown beer that has aged for 6 months in oak barrels and some “young” brown beer. Each barrel is individually tasted and flavored in different concentrations in order to create the perfect blend. Each year will taste slightly different.

Belgium – 6% abv – Oud Bruin – 87 Ratebeer

Rodenbach 2010 VintageThis Flemish red-brown sour ale of mixed fermentation takes on its unique character by maturing in handmade oak vats (some of which are over 150 years old). This exclusive limited edition vintage by Rodenbach is the result of a two-year aging process in Vat #144.Belgium – 7% abv – Flanders Red – 99 Ratebeer

Hanssens Artisanaal Scarenbecca Kriek

Wild Belgian Schaerbeek sour cherries are brewed with this lambic; in fact, there are 70 kg of black Belgian cherries per 600 liter barrel! After the blending, the Kriek is bottled, corked, and stored in the cellar for secondary fermentation at 50° to 55° for over a year.Belgium – 6% abv – Kriek – 98 Ratebeer

Hanssens Artisanaal Lambic Experimental CassisProducers of an ale brewed with black currants and matured in oak barrels, Hanssens Artisanaal is the last independent gueze blender in the world. At Hanssens, no beer is actually brewed. Instead, they pursue a profession that was very important in the history of lambic style beers: they are solely blenders of beer.Belgium – 6% abv – Cassis – 98 Ratebeer

LambickXThis is a very special beer. True lambics are almost never found outside of Belgium and until this beer was available, Cantillon was pretty much the only lambic that had made it to the United States. Importer Don Feinberg has hand-selected young lambics from various producers and then aged and blended them; he is the only American who goes to Belgium to blend lambics. Since this beer reflects the conditions present during the blending and aging process, LambickX can not be replicated. Each lambic produced will be a little different. Expect this beer to be almost totally flat, as barrelling causes it to lose its carbonation, no new lambic is added to the blend, and it is not refermented(like a gueze would be).Belgium – 5.75% abv – True Lambic – 96 Ratebeer

2006 Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien

This Swiss Ale de Guard aged in oak boldly treads the boundaries between port, wine, and beer. The wooden casks that it is aged in have been used for several years to age Merlot, Merlot Cabernet, Whisky, and then, Grappa. This process manages to merge into L’Abbaye all of the complex aromas of a vintage red wine, along with the delicate harmony and flavors of the wood and its former contents. The final version is blended from different casks. A mere one thousand bottles of the 2006 vintage were earmarked for the US market.Switzerland – 11% abv – Biere de Guard – 99 Ratebeer

2007 Abbaye de Saint Bon ChienLike the 2006 vintage, this Swiss Ale de Guard is aged in oak casks with a history. This process requires close monitoring of the beer’s evolution, but the results ensure optimal balance, complexity, and enjoyment. The beer was named in fond memory of Bon-Chien, the brewery’s cat, whose antics were very popular with brewery visitors.Switzerland – 11% abv – Biere de Guard – 99 Ratebeer

Hanssens Artisanaal Oude GueuzeThis is the result of blending different lambics of different ages. The second fermentation takes place inside the bottles; therefore, they are stored for a minimum of six months in cellars kept at a constant temperature.Belgium – 6% – Gueuze – 99 Ratebeer

LambruchaVanberg & DeWulf’s Lambrucha is the first time that two different types of live yeast drinks have been blended together to create a completely new live yeast beverage. Lambrucha is the brainchild of Don Feinberg, with technical yeast management assistance from Dr. Roger Mussche (the Belgian brewing scientist who is the world’s leading authority on Brettanomyces yeast). Lambrucha is blended at Brouwerij De Troch in Wambeek — the heart of Payottenland. Lambrucha combines hand-selected house lambics that are a minimum of one year old, and specially brewed organic Belgian kombucha. Kombucha has been enjoyed in Central Asia for millennia. A deliciously tart effervescent beverage is created by pitching a mushroom into tea and letting it ferment. Kombucha is renowned for its probiotic, health-giving benefits. Lambic is the legendary spontaneously fermenting beer from the Senne River Valley in Belgium. Lambic contains some 500 different yeasts. Lambic is the signature contribution to brewing science practiced for centuries in Belgium.Belgium – 3.5% – Lambic Hybrid – 93 Ratebeer

2008 Boon Geuze Mariage ParfaitBoon Geuze Mariage Parfait has an alcohol content of 8%. It consists of 95% mild lambic, aged at least three years and specially reserved for this purpose, and 5% young lambic. The latter provides the fermentable sugars and wild yeasts. After being mixed in a vessel of 25,000 litres, the wort (unfermented mixture) is filtered and chilled. The bottles are placed in a climate-controlled space for the secondary fermentation. This is followed by being allowed to mature at low temperatures for at least 6 months.Belgium – 8% abv – Geuze – 98 Ratebeer